Water consuming question

I'll try to get in first on this one...

The average person needs the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/13/myth-eight-glasses-water-day

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/07/wellness-water-8x8-myth.html

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/


As for tea/coffee being a diuretic, so many people just spout that word as a reason, without actually understanding what "diuretic" means.

di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
adj.
Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
n.
A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the tea/coffee. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what

http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo

I am 5'5 and 183 and drink an average of 12 to 15 8 oz glasses a day I work out a lot and I have a 24 ounce refillable bottle with me all the time

I never used to drink much water, but it does seem to stave off hunger when you know you shouldn't be taking in more calories..

My nutritionist told me 1 glass of water for every 25 lbs of body weight.

Ok, I have researched an answer to my own question....It seems that as we are losing weight, the formula I searched out is equal to 1/2 of our body weight is ounces of water.....SO, 249 lbs, is 124.5 oz of water a day....WOW, Lots of sacrifices to The Potty God...lol What do the rest of you think?

This is the minimum amount I strive to consume. Based on my weight I should be getting in about 10 glasses per day (75 ozs rounded up), but while I was actively losing weight, I tried to drink a minimum of 15 glasses, preferably more. Now that I'm maintaining, I still try to drink 15-20 glasses a day. That includes a small amount of decaf iced tea.

Seriously, if your "nutritionist" is telling you that you need 64 oz or more of water each day, it's probably time to find a new nutritionist. Just Google it... it's everywhere...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/monica-reinagel-ms-ldn-cns/dehydration-myth_b_1080956.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18563_162-3991145.html

The average person needs the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

That's good to know! If I can add tea, coffee, juice and milk, I can easily make it to 8 cups per day.
I thought they had to be pure neat water. In that case, I can't never drink more than 6.
Counting water in fruit and veggies is to difficult, so I will skip it in the calculation.

Thank you for sharing! :flowerforyou:

the amount of water you need depends on how much you sweat, not just how big you are. it changes according to the weather and how much exercise you do. Formulas based solely on body weight are misleading. If you sweat more, you need more water. And bear in mind if it's hot and dry, you won't know you're sweating as it will evaporate off your skin before you know it's there.

Sorry to be gross but the best way to tell if your hydrated is by the colour of your urine. If it looks like water, then you're drinking enough water. If it's dark then you need to drink more water.

^Best Answer.
The idea i give above is a good starting point though.

Body Weight/2 + 15 oz

I drink anywhere from 8 to 12 glasses water a day. It depends on my schedule. I am not sure if it is the best to drink 8 or more glasses, so I say do your research on that. A tip though - I drink a liter container of water. I can get into my head that I only need to drink two or three liters of water a day - but when we talk about glasses, I drink a lot less! Think liters, not glasses It helps for me!

personally, i keep drinking until i can't sit at my desk for longer than 15 minutes, then i know i am properly hydrated.

Right on... if i'm not peeing in my pants at least twice an hour, I know I'm dehydrated...

I am very heavy, and I only drink 8 cups of water a day. Since I hate drinking water, my plan is to not drink anymore than that until I hit my first weight loss plateau. So far, I've been losing 2 pounds a week on average. I'll start increasing my water intake as soon as I go 2 weeks in a row without losing anything.

The 8 cups per day of 'water' is heavily promoted by...

Wait for it...

Yes, you probably have guessed by now...

The bottled water industry.

It's not really a bad guideline, but should not be taken as an absolute requirement or sufficient consumption value. Use common sense, and pay attention to your activity level, and what your body is telling you about your need for water.

Some days I don't do much but stay indoors and have limited physical activity. On those days, my 'plain water' need may not exceed a quart (4 cups).

Other days I work outside in the heat, and the 8 cups recommended (1/2 gallon) is insufficient.

I have a desk job M-F, and often through the day I sit for the majority of 9 hours in a climate-controlled environment. If I find myself having to get up and go to the restroom every half hour, then I take that as a clue that my body is telling me I'm drinking too much water. I feel a lot better if I cut back a bit.

Also, it makes sense to consider what you're eating as well as what you're drinking. If you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables (like melons, cucumber, tomatoes, squash) then you get a significant quantity of water from eating those foods. Use an internet search engine with search term: "water from fruits and vegetables" to see how much you can get from various fruits and veggies.